Direction-signal for motor-vehicles.



1. ANDERSON, JR; DIRECTION SIGNA'L FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1916.

. Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

A 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Z O m 0v 0 m a Ja mea dndewargd r --I.-A'NDERSON, Jn. DfRECTION SIGNAL FUR'MOTOR VEHICLES. I

7 APPLICATION man MAY 10. 1916.-

Patentd Nov. 13, 917

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES ANDERSON, JR., OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

IDIREGTION=SIGrN'AL FOB, MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. I P t t 13, 1917,

Application filed my 10, 1916. Serial No. 96,661.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, James ANDERSON, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Direction-Signals for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in direction signals andmore particularly direction signals for motor vehicles, the primary object of my lnvention being the provision of a signal device which may be attached to the front or rear of a vehicle and which may be operated to indicate the intention of the driver of the vehicle to turn to the right or left. As a rule, one of the signaling devices will be located at each end of the vehicle and each device is so arranged that may indicate which direction the vehicle is to turn.

' A still further object of my invention consists in constructing a signaling device which, in efiect, is in the outline of a pair of arrows pointing in opposite directions with their shafts overlapping, being disposed one above the other, with the end of each shaft abutting against the head of the other shaft to economize in space and pro' vide a compact structure.

A still further object of my invention is to so partition off the body that each arrow constitutes a chamber separate and distinct from the chamber of the other and in providinga signal light in each of t-hechanr bers.

In this connection, a still further object of my invention is to provide the body of the device with a face plate having translucent panels outlining the arrows, the panels being preferably formed of colored glass and so arranged that the heads of the arrows will appear red and the shafts blue when the signal is illuminated.

A further object of my invention consists in the provision of a novel arrangement for properly partitioning ofl? the shaft portions of the body to provide the chambers above mentioned.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will be more fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

Fig. A is a central vertical sectional view;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view, illustrating one method of wiring a vehicle equipped with my signals.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The body portion 10 of my improved signal device includes a base 11 surrounded by a marginal wall 12, the base and, consequently, its marginal wall being so shaped as to provide an open faced body having a rectangular intermediate portion and slightly offset triangular end portions, one end portion being ofiset upwardly and the other correspondingly offsetdownwardly in the manner clearly shown in Figsf I and- The intermediate portion of the base, along its edges, is provided with flanges 13 having openings 14 through which screws, bolts or other fastening means mav be passed to secure the body either directly to the vehicle or to suitable brackets carried by the vehicle. This body may be constructed of wood, sheet metal or any other suitable material, sheet metal being preferred.

A longitudinal partition wall 15 extends throughout the length of the intermediate portion of the body and at its inner edge is bifurcated and curved to form substantially semicylindrical back walls 16 engaging against the base, as best shown in Fig. i, and engaging at their free edges against the upper and lower marginal walls. By means of this partition wall, in connection with the intermediate portions of the marginal walls, I define what may be termed shaft portions 17 and 18 for the arrow heads 19 and '20, respectively, and it will be seen that the portions of the marginal walls defining the arrowheadslQ and 20 serve to close the shaft portions at one end. That is, a portion of the marginal wall of the head 19 closes the free end of the shaft portion of the head 20, while a portion of the marginal wall of the head 20 closes the free end of the shaft portion 17 of the arrow head 19. By this means, two arrow shaped chambers are provided in which the arrows point in opposite directions and the shaft portions of whichoverlap and these chambers may be illuminated by electric light bulbs 21 and 22 mounted in the arrowhead portions of the chambers. The light bulbs are mounted.

' in suitable sockets 23 secured tothe base of the body and the electric light wires are run into the body through an opening 24 formed in the base and along the space between the base and the branch portions of the partition wall-15 and so through suitable openings 25 formed in the marginal walls of the arrow heads and into the heads of the arrows and into the light sockets. Because of this, there is absolutely nocommunication between the arrow shaped cham vals and bent inwardly to provide glass retaining flanges or strips 28 and the flange 27 in spaced relation to these strips is looped inwardly to provide a marginal shoulder 29 in order that suitably shaped pieces of glass may be seated and anchored between i the shoulders or seats 29 and the strips 28;

glass 31 are mounted in theshaft portions,

. blue shaft.

Pieces of glass 30 are mounted in the arrow head portions of this frame and pieces of the intermediate portion of the frame being formed with a medial brace strip 32 extending parallel to the partition wall 15. The glass covering the arrow head portions of the device is preferably red, while that covering the shaft portions is preferably of some other distinctive .color, such as blue. Obviously, if current is supplied to the light 21, the glass face of the arrow head 19 will be illumined and will appear bright red,

while the glass face of the shaft 17 will be correspondingly illumined, showing bright blue. The signal will, therefore,

present the appearance of an arrow pointing to the right and having a red head and In like manner, if current is supplied'to the light 22, the other arrow will be illumined.

Obviously, there are many ways in which a vehicle may be wired when my signal devices are employed but for the sake of clearness I have illustrated one simple method in Fig. 5. In this figure I have as- 'separatin sumed that-two. signaling devices are employed, one at A at the front portion of the vehicle, and one at B at the rear portion, the light bulbs being indicated by their respective'numerals 21 and 22,-it of course being apparent that if the light bulb 21-is at the right upon the rear signal it will be at the left upon the forward signal, looking at the signals from the rear and front of the vehicle, respecti ely, as they would appear to pedestrians or drivers of other vehicles. A wire 33 connects one contact of the light socket 21 at the front signal with the contact of the light socket 22 at the rear signal, while a wire 34 connects contacts of the other light sockets. A wire 36 connects the other contacts of the two rear light sockets and wires 37 and 38 connect.

the free contacts of the two front sockets, respectively, to the fixed contacts 39 and 40of a two-way switch 41 having the swinging contact or switch blade 42. A wire 43 leads from this switch blade to a battery 44.01 other suitable source of electrical energy and a wire 45 leads from the other. pole of this battery to the wire 36.

It will, of course, be clear that if the switch blade 43 is swun to the left to engage the contact 39, t e circuit \will be closed, including the battery, the light 21 at the front signal and the light 22 at the rear signal. If, on theother hand, the switch blade is swung in the opposite direction, the circuit will be closed, ineludin the battery, the light 22 at the front signa and the light 21 at the rear signalh Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1.'A direction indicator including a base. surrounded by a marginal wall defining and,

forming an open faced casing in the shape of a pair of oppositely directed arrows, theshafts of which overlap, the shaft of one a1- row abutting against the head of the other arrow, a longitudinal partition abutting at its 'endsagainst the heads of the arrows and said partition at its inner end being bifurcated and oppositely curved to provide reflecting back walls within the casing which constitutethe back walls of the shaft portions, electric light bulbs mounted in the head portions ofthe arrows, .and a closure for the casmg havlng non-opaque portions defining and overlying the arrows.

and defining the shafts thereof,

' 2. A direction indicator 'including a base surrounded by a'marginal wall defining and forming an open faced casing in the shape of a'pair of oppositely directed arrows, the shafts of which overlap, the shaft of one arrow abutting against the head ofthe other arrow, a longitudinal partition abutting at its ends against the heads of the arrows and separatingand defining the shafts thereof, said partition at its inner end being bifurcated and oppositely curved to provide refleeting back walls within the casing which constitute the back walls of the shaft portions, electric light bulbs mounted in the head portions of the arrows, and a closure for the casing having non-opaque portions defining and overlying the arrows, said closure including a marginal portion adapted to encircle the marginal wall of the casing and folded inwardly upon itself throughout its length to provide a seat to receive glass panels, the marginal portion having its free edge inbent to provide retaining flanges to engage against glass panels positioned against the seats, and glass panels retained between the seats and flanges.

3. A direction indicator including a base and walls defining an open faced casing, a signal light mounted in the casing, and a closure for the casingineluding a marginal portion adapted to engage against the outer faces of the walls of the casing and folded inwardly upon itself throughout its length to provide a seat to receive glass panels, the marginal portion having its free edge inbent to provide retaining flanges to engage against glass panels positioned against the seats, and glass panels retained between the seats and flanges.

4. A direction indicator including a back wall, forwardly projecting wall portions defining a pair of oppositely directed spaced arrow head shaped chambers, the axes of which are horizontally disposed at slightly different levels and the adjacent sides of which are formed with axial openings, a partition wall projecting forwardly and eX- tending from one side at the opening of one chamber to the other side of the opening of the other chamber, additional forwardly projecting wall portions parallel to and spaced at each side. of the partition wall and extending from chamber to chamber to de fine with the partition wall overlapping arrow shaft forming chambers, each communicating at one end with one arrow head shaped chamber through the openin therein and being closed at its opposite end wall of the other arrow head shaped 9 amber, a closure engaging against the -forward edges of the walls and.having arrow shaped inserts of non-opaque material coincident with the head and shaft shaped chambers of the arrows, and signal lights'disposed within the arrow head shaped chambers, whereby each arrow head shaped chamber and its shaft shaped chamber may be illumined independently of the other.

b the In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAMES ANDERSON, JR. as 

